The short version
Tabitha Jane Maple was born at 10:59 p.m. on Tuesday, September 26. 8 pounds 3 ounces, and with a full head of hair. The labor maintained its steady pace the whole way through; it totalled some 31 hours from the point where it started to hurt... 14 at the hospital. No drugs, in the end. (Which almost makes me feel like I don't have a birth story: no drama along the way! It was long and slow, and it hurt, and Tabby and I were both fine.)
We spent an extra day at the hospital, held captive by renegade pediatricians concerned with number of feeding attempts and weight loss. (It was a fine chance to finally hash out the name argument in a neutral location, actually.) Today they tried to hold us again (she's lost 11% of her birth weight) but we promised to hold to the lactation boot camp program that had been prescibed and to see a local pediatrician tomorrow morning. And to consider supplementation: she was awfully groggy the last time I tried to feed her, I have to say. My boobs are ginormous, but not yet shooting out fluid.
But we're home! My God, we're home, with a lovely little baby.
Meanwhile, my sister-in-law has gone into full preeclampsia. Yesterday they started trying to induce her; today, just a couple of hours ago, they decided on a c-section instead, after she'd spent 3 hours at 7 cm. (Um...) (Actually, um...)
Congratulations! so glad it all went well and that you're home.
Hope everything goes ok for your sister-in-law.
Posted by: Leslie | Friday, September 09, 2005 at 08:44 PM
Congratulations! I'm so glad it worked out well.
Posted by: noether | Friday, September 09, 2005 at 08:46 PM
Congratulations!
Posted by: Mykal | Friday, September 09, 2005 at 09:01 PM
Congratulations and welcome to Tabitha! How wonderful! (Do you mean September 6?) Best wishes to you all!
Posted by: New Kid on the Hallway | Friday, September 09, 2005 at 09:08 PM
Hooray! Congratulations :)
Posted by: profgrrrrl | Friday, September 09, 2005 at 09:16 PM
I'm so so so THRILLED for you! Welcome to the adventure of parenthood! I LOVE the name, too! All the best.
Posted by: Karen F. | Friday, September 09, 2005 at 09:18 PM
Congratulations!!! Welcome home!
Posted by: liz | Friday, September 09, 2005 at 09:18 PM
Congratulations from a lurker. Welcome to the world, little Tabitha Jane!
Posted by: mary | Friday, September 09, 2005 at 09:21 PM
Congratulations! Many, MANY congratulations!
Posted by: Jody | Friday, September 09, 2005 at 09:44 PM
Oh! I'm so happy for you! Congratulations! Tabitha is a wonderful name!
Posted by: zarqa | Friday, September 09, 2005 at 10:08 PM
Congratulations! I'm so pleased for you all.
Posted by: Rivka | Friday, September 09, 2005 at 10:19 PM
Congratulations!! So glad you're home, and hope the feeding thing works itself out smoothly, and soon.
I hope all is well with your SIL, too.
Posted by: cass | Friday, September 09, 2005 at 10:22 PM
Wonderful news, Emma. My warmest congratulations and good luck for dealing with the paediatricians and their obsession with gaining weight from day one. Such a load of crap. Enjoy your lovely baby and all will be well.
hugs
Posted by: Emma almost Jane | Friday, September 09, 2005 at 10:28 PM
Congratulations!
Posted by: kimberly | Friday, September 09, 2005 at 10:46 PM
Awwww! You're a mommy! Congratulations!
Posted by: Kate | Friday, September 09, 2005 at 10:48 PM
How wonderful!! Many congratulations, and Tabitha is such a beautiful name! :)
Posted by: quetzal | Friday, September 09, 2005 at 11:07 PM
Congratulations from yet another lurker.
Posted by: Arabella | Saturday, September 10, 2005 at 12:01 AM
congratulations!
bj
PS: I'll presume baby was born on the 6th?
Posted by: bj | Saturday, September 10, 2005 at 01:08 AM
Hooray! Welcome home to both of you!!
Posted by: Kendra | Saturday, September 10, 2005 at 02:33 AM
Great News!! Welcome Tabitha Jane...what a beautiful name.
Posted by: Tara | Saturday, September 10, 2005 at 08:56 AM
How wonderful! Congratulations!
Posted by: Powerprof | Saturday, September 10, 2005 at 11:55 AM
Congratulations!!
Posted by: Advice At Your Own Risk | Saturday, September 10, 2005 at 02:21 PM
Congratulations!
Posted by: luolin | Saturday, September 10, 2005 at 03:34 PM
Congratulations! Tabitha is a lovely name. And I hope your sister-in-law recovers quickly.
Posted by: bitchphd | Saturday, September 10, 2005 at 05:37 PM
Congratulations! Long and painful sounds about right. :) Hope the boob juice starts squirting soon. If you had any IV fluids you might have to wait a few more days before your milk comes out, so make sure you have an LC who's on top of the whole IV fluid/delayed milk thing.
Posted by: Moxie | Saturday, September 10, 2005 at 08:00 PM